Prerequisits:

Before the exam, students have to present a seminar work in front of other students.

Students will be assessed by the overall rating for the exam (50 %) and the seminar work (50 %).

Content (Syllabus outline):

The course focuses on sustainable development – a theoretically developed global development paradigm, which still faces challenges in practical implementation. This is due to the complexity and multifaceted nature of pursuing sustainable development goals.

The content will be organized in six sections:

1. Introduction (theoretical overview of the sustainability concept, sustainable development goals, and the challenges in achieving them)
2. Measuring and monitoring sustainable development (standard systems, criteria and indicators)
3. Society’s attitude to resources (human-environment systems, sustainable management of natural and cultural resources, ecosystem services and their contribution to humans, food systems, landscape and sustainability, environmental justice, vulnerability, resilience)
4. Organization of society in space (sustainable tourism, sustainable mobility, and form of settlements, sharing economy)
5. Awareness of sustainable practices (information and marketing)
6. Role of participatory planning (identification of key stakeholders, public participation, community-engaged planning, methods of implementing the participatory process)

Readings:

• Thiele, L. P. (2017). Sustainability (Key concepts). 2nd Edition. Polity Press: Cambridge.
• Robertson, M. (2017). Communicating Sustainability: Making sustainability legible. Routledge: London.
• Vodeb, K. (2014). Trajnostni razvoj turističnih destinacij alpsko-jadranskega prostora. Založba Univerze na Primorskem: Koper.
• United Nations (2015). Transforming our World: The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. https://www.un.org/ga/search/view_doc.asp?symbol=A/RES/70/1&Lang=E
• Millenium Ecosystem Assesment (2005). Ecosystems and human well-being: Synthesis. Washington. https://www.millenniumassessment.org/documents/document.356.aspx.pdf
• Carson, R (2002). Silent Spring. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt:Boston.
• WCED (1987). Our Common Future. Oxford University Press: Oxford.

Objectives and competences:

The objective of the course is for the student to acquire the latest, in-depth and entrenched theoretical knowledge in the field of sustainable development, which he/she can also recognize in practical examples of spatial management. It is envisaged to deepen knowledge of ways to measure and monitor sustainable development, to raise awareness of sustainable practices, and to the role and contribution of individual actors’ participation. Students are also introduced to the importance and development challenges in selected sectors (e.g., tourism, mobility, entrepreneurship) and types of areas (e.g., protected areas, agricultural areas). The student is trained in applied, independent, professional critical and responsible work, which is also important for the preparation of a doctoral dissertation.

Intended learning outcomes:

Knowledge and understanding:

• concept and goals of sustainable development
• basic approaches for measuring and monitoring sustainable development
• principles and challenges of sustainable resource management
• principles and challenges of sustainable social action in territory
• methods of conducting a participatory process and critical assessment of the weight of evidence of an process (in concrete cases)

Learning and teaching methods:

Types of learning/teaching:

• Frontal teaching
• Work in smaller groups or pair work
• Independent students work
• e-learning

Teaching methods:

• Explanation
• Conversation/discussion/debate
• Case studies
• Different presentation
• Inviting guests from companies

Assessment:

• Long written assignments (40 %)
• Presentations (10 %)
• Final examination (written/oral) (50 %)